Heh amulet

The plastically modelled amulet combines the depictional characteristics of the gods Shu and Heh. Shu holds up the solar disc, which symbolises the sky with both arms raised while sitting half-kneeling on a small pedestal. He wears a long tripartite wig, a false beard and a short, pleated kilt. However, Heh is also usually depicted seated with his arms held upwards, while in this case, the palm rib in each of his two raised arms is clearly visible, so that it is rather Heh depicted.

The gods Shu and Heh, however, are intertwined in supporting the creation of the universe, its eternal sustenance, and the continuous renewal of the sun god and the deceased. Shu emerged from Atum, the creator god, as the first step in the creation process of the universe, when Atum sneezed him out. Shu is the void, the air that separates heaven and earth appearing in the next stage of creation. The god also holds the sky, Nut, and thereby initiates and protects the process of creation and the cyclical celestial journey of the sun. The god Shu also created eight supporters to assist Nut, who are called Heh.

Heh is the god of eternity, consequently the object, worn as a jewellery amulet, symbolised eternal life, and the achievement of eternal afterlife was the ultimate goal of the ancient Egyptians. By combining Heh, the hieroglyphic symbol for “a million”, with the palm branch, representing “a year”, the amulet wished the wearer “millions of years of life”.

On the top of the small object – although in an atypical form –, there is also a hole for suspension. The amulets were most often made of glazed Egyptian faience, whose greenish colour also supported rebirth. This amulet type can be dated to the Late Period.